“Too many communities were ravaged by a variety of record-setting natural catastrophes in 2010 and 2011, and we owe it to those people to learn from their tragic experiences and do whatever we can to prevent such devastation in the future,” said Brenda O’Connor, IBHS senior vice president, communications. “Fortunately, there are things that individuals can do to make themselves, their loved ones, their homes, possessions, businesses and communities more disaster resistant.”

The Your Plan app for iPhone was developed by the Insurance Information Institute (I.I.I.), and provides a comprehensive set of resources and checklists, created by IBHS, consumers can use to help minimize property damage due to severe weather events and other disasters. Users also can build customized checklists, and can share their checklists with family and friends via email.

Additional functionality includes a built-in Google Crisis Response feed with access to local emergency information. Your Plan is available in iTunes, or by searching “Insurance Information Institute” in the App store from any iPhone.

“We want to be sure that as many consumers as possible have access to useful disaster preparedness information, and the new Your Plan app is an excellent way to potentially reach millions of iPhone users. Our goal is to enable people to take control over the risks they face,” O’Connor noted.

The launch of the new Your Plan app coincides with the start of the most active period of the Atlantic hurricane season (August through October), as well as with National Preparedness Month in September.

“People often feel powerless in the face of disasters, which is why preparing ahead of time is so critical,” O’Connor said. “Know the severe weather events prevalent in your area, and use this new app and the many other resources available to make sure your home or business is as disaster-resistant as possible.”

Visit DisasterSafety.org for more information about how to make your buildings more resistant to a variety of disasters, large and small.

In 2010, IBHS reinforced its role as a leading authority on disaster preparedness when it opened the world-class IBHS Research Center in South Carolina. Since then, researchers have conducted a wide range of building science research tests at the facility which have generated compelling visual evidence of the role stronger, safer construction practices play in protecting lives and reducing disaster-related property damage:

IBHS is a leading national expert on preparing for, and repairing and rebuilding structures after a catastrophe to make them more disaster-resistant. To arrange an interview with IBHS, contact Joseph King at 813-675-1045/813-442-2845, jking@ibhs.org or via direct message on Twitter @jsalking.

IBHS is an independent, nonprofit, scientific research and communications organization supported by the property insurance industry. The organization works to reduce the social and economic effects of natural disasters and other risks on residential and commercial property by conducting building science research and advocating improved construction, maintenance and preparedness practices.